Office & Financial Policies

It is important to know that the purpose of psychotherapy is to improve mental, emotional, and behavioral well-being. There are few risks associated with treatment. However, a potential barrier to treatment being successful is the added stress that may come when office and financial policies are not well understood. Therefore, to work most effectively together we have found it is important to define office and financial policies in advance. Please look over the frequently asked questions about office policies below. Once you are an established client, Psychodrama New Jersey will continue to review these policies with you annually.

Do you take insurance?

No, The therapists’ at PNJ are considered “fee for service” or “out-of-network”. We made the decision to withdraw from in-network insurance panels to free up more time for quality clinical care. Instead of devoting countless hours to billing paperwork and arguing with insurance companies to pay for services already rendered, we will actually get to devote our time to what we do best- therapy!

However, we understand that navigating insurance can be challenging, so we’re here to help make the process for clients easier! Contact us and we will verify your coverage and determine if you have OON coverage. If you have OON benefits, we’ve partnered with Thrizer to simplify the payment process. We will charge you for your session using Thrizer which will automatically handle the out-of-network claim submissions and allow you the convenient option of only paying a copay for your session.

How do I prepare for my appointment?

Complete the intake paperwork via the Client Portal. Once your appointment has been scheduled, you will receive an email with a link to register and complete the new client paperwork. Doing this is important, as filling out the forms in person will take time away that could be spent speaking with your therapist.
Bring your photo identification with you to your first appointment.

How do I pay for services?

Payment is required in full at the beginning of each session unless otherwise arranged. We accept payment for services by credit card, check, or from a flexible spending account (FSA) or Health Savings Account (HSA). Note: there is an additional $35 fee for any stopped or “bounced” checks or denied credit card charges.
This office does not accept Medicaid or Medicare.
Thrizer: We have partnered with Thrizer to handle the out-of-network process automatically for you. With Thrizer, you will only have to pay a copay for our sessions*.

Here is how Thrizer works:

We will email you a link to create a Thrizer account.
You add your insurance information and a payment method to set up your account.
Review your out-of-network benefits and estimated co-insurance to clarify any questions you have‍.
We charge you for your session via Thrizer. ^

*Unless you have a Blue Cross Blue Shield Plan, in which case you will have pay the full session fee upfront and will receive reimbursement in a few weeks.

^Please note: Thrizer charges a 5% fee of the session rate if you would like to just pay a copay at the time of services; you will pay that fee at the time of our session along with your copay. If you are okay paying my full fee and waiting for reimbursement, you have the option to choose that route instead for just a 1% fee. That fee gets deducted from the reimbursement that comes to your bank account. If you are still working towards a deductible, you do not pay any fees.

Self Pay: When you are not seeking reimbursement through your insurance company, the office will supply a Good Faith Estimate at the beginning of treatment which will clarify any and all costs of treatment costs up front.

What are the fee's for services?

Fee's are set depending on the experience level of each therapist.
Intake sessions (60-90 min.) range from $150-$225
Individual therapy sessions (45-60 min.)range from $145-$200
Couple/Family therapy sessions (60-90 min.) range from $175-$225
Group therapy sessions (90- min.)range from $90-$300

When contacting the office to make an appointment you will be informed of any and all treatment costs before you arrive to your first session.

Cancellations: The appointments you make at this office are at times reserved exclusively for you. If for any reason you need to cancel, please call no later than 24 hours prior to your appointment. In the event that you cannot cancel 24 hours in advance, you will be charged $70 for the missed appointment. If you neither cancel nor appear for your appointment, you are responsible to pay the full fee for the missed appointment. These charges are not billable to insurance. If you fail to attend, without proper notification, two scheduled appointments in a row, Psychodrama New Jersey, LLC reserves the right to collect the fee for the missed sessions and discontinue service.
Tardiness: Scheduled sessions begin at your previously arranged appointment time. Your fee is based on that time period. Session fees cannot be prorated and session timeframes cannot be extended, therefore prompt arrival is in the best interest of our clients.

What if I am late or have to cancel?

What are my rights and how is my privacy protected?

Treatment at Psychodrama New Jersey centers on a holistic approach to psychotherapy. We are committed to the delivery of competent services and recognize the importance of your role in treatment. Working with a skilled clinician in an office that is guided by sound ethical practice and state regulations help our clients to have confidence in the treatment they are provided. Anyone engaging in treatment should read Psychodrama New Jersey’s Privacy Practices in full and ask any questions necessary to fully understand this information.

Confidentiality is one of the most important components between a client and therapist. Successful therapy requires a high degree of trust with highly sensitive subject matter that is usually not discussed anywhere but during the session. You can expect that what you discuss in session will not be shared with anyone except when state law, HIPAA, and professional ethics require exceptions.

Some examples of exceptions to confidentiality include:

Suspected past or present abuse or neglect.
If the therapist has reason to suspect the client is seriously in danger of harming themselves or has threatened to harm another person.

Client Rights

1. Right to Voluntary Treatment

If you are a legal adult (18 or older in NJ), you have the right to request voluntary mental health services.

You have a right to:

Receive a comprehensive, individualized assessment of your needs and problem areas.
A customized treatment plan, to be reviewed at regular intervals, developed with your input, and implemented with your full consent.
Consistent and ethical treatment, terminating our treatment when it is no longer needed or at your request.
Referrals to other competent professionals and resources as adjunctive treatment options, reflective of your treatment plan.
Return to treatment following termination.
Be considered for treatment despite inability to pay the full fee (not unwilling) and be considered for a reduced fee based on specific standardized criteria.

2. Right to Refuse Treatment

You have a right to:

Refuse treatment and receive a referral to another qualified mental health professional.
Be informed about risks associated with refusing treatment.

3. Right to Confidentiality/Privacy

You have a right to:

Confidentiality and to understand how your privacy is protected (Please read Notice of Privacy Policy & Technology & Social Media Policy).
You have the right to be informed if any of your PHI has been breached or compromised.
Determine the amount of information to be released, whether to or from anyone, by signing an Authorization to Release Mental Health Information.

4. Right to Comfortable Mental & Physical Environment

You have a right to:

Be treated with courtesy, respect, and professionally.
Feel comfortable, safe and be afforded a sense of privacy in my office.

5. Right to Information

You have a right to:

Understand what you can expect during treatment with Psychodrama New Jersey including appointments, fees, and all relevant office practices, policies, and procedures.
Know therapist credentials, educational experience, treatment philosophy, professional Code of Ethics, NJ State Social Work Licensure requirements, Federal HIPAA regulations.

6. Right to a Grievance Procedure

You have a right to:

File a formal complaint against Psychodrama New Jersey, LLC if you feel that you have been wronged or mistreated in any manner. If you wish to file a complaint, you have the right to file a complaint verbally or in writing to L. Scott Urmey B.S., M.S.W., L.C.S.W., T.E.P. at P.O. Box 3063, Long Branch, NJ, 07740 or with the Secretary of Health and Human Services at 200 Independence Avenue, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20201 or by calling (202) 619-0257. All complaints will be handled respectfully, with the intention of a resolution, and you will not be retaliated against.

What is PNJ's Technology & Social Media Policy?

Technology
It is important to understand how PNJ staff conduct themselves on the Internet as mental health care professionals. If interactions occur on the Internet, it’s important to understand the response you can expect. You are encouraged to bring up any issues for discussion with your therapist and staff for clarification. As new technology develops and the Internet changes, there may be times when this policy needs to be updated. If an update occurs, you will be notified. If you have concerns, questions, or information that may be helpful please discuss it with us.

If you use location-based services on your mobile device/phone/watch, you may wish to investigate the potential privacy issues related to using these services. Social media linked to mobile devices sometimes have a “check-in” feature. You should be aware that intentionally or unintentionally “checking-in” from an office location where clinical services are provided may make it possible for others to surmise that you are a therapy client which can be a risk to your confidentiality and privacy.

Social Media
We do not accept friend or contact requests from current or former clients on any social networking sites (Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.). Adding clients as friends or contacts can compromise confidentiality and privacy. It also blurs the boundaries of the therapeutic relationship. Psychodrama New Jersey is a training institute and therefore offers non-clinical services such as continuing education, training, and supervision, which Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram may be used to share blog posts, practice updates, and connect with colleagues and students. There is no expectation that you, as a client, will want to follow any of this information, but if you choose to do so please know that it has not been recommended and it can possibly be a risk to your confidentiality. Please be aware that we will not be able to follow any of your social media or personal information on the Internet. If there is material from your online life you wish to share, please bring that into your sessions where it can be viewed and explored with your therapist during the therapy hour.

What's the best way to communicate with my therapist between sessions?

If you need to communicate between sessions, the best way is to call the main office phone, 732-686-9427. We also offer secure text/email messaging through our secure client portal system, Simple Practice. We prefer using this feature only to arrange or modify appointments, if necessary. Please do not text content related to therapy sessions through this system. If your therapist is away or unavailable for an extended amount of time, the re will be an automated outgoing reply message that will have detailed information about their ability to return messages.

Once an appointment is scheduled, you will be sent a secured email through the secure client portal system to establish your Client Portal, where you will be able to access confidential information. If you choose to communicate with us by email and/or text message with this system, please be aware that these are retained in the logs of your Internet Service Provider (ISP). While it is unlikely that someone will look at these logs, they are, in theory, available to be read by the system administrators of the ISP. You should also know that any emails and text messages received become a part of your clinical record. It is also important to know that if you choose to provide your email/phone number for appointment reminders, the information will be sent via Simple Practice Client portal system which will help protect your information as best as possible, but it will not be encrypted.

Email and text messaging are very popular and convenient ways to communicate for a lot of people, so in their latest modifications to the HIPAA act, the federal government provided guidance. This information is available in PDF (page 5634) on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services website, www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-01-25/pdf/2013-01073.pdf. The guidelines state that if a client is made aware of the risks of unencrypted email, and that the client consents to receive personal health information via email, then a health entity may send that client medical information via unencrypted email.

Office & Financial Policies

Do you take insurance?

How do I prepare for my appointment?

Bring your photo identification with you to your first appointment.

How do I pay for services?

This office does not accept Medicaid or Medicare. ​

Thrizer: We have partnered with Thrizer to handle the out-of-network process automatically for you. With Thrizer, you will only have to pay a copay for our sessions*.

Here is how Thrizer works:

Self Pay: When you are not seeking reimbursement through your insurance company, the office will supply a Good Faith Estimate at the beginning of treatment which will clarify any and all costs of treatment costs up front.​

What are the fee's for services?

Tardiness: Scheduled sessions begin at your previously arranged appointment time. Your fee is based on that time period. Session fees cannot be prorated and session timeframes cannot be extended, therefore prompt arrival is in the best interest of our clients.

What if I am late or have to cancel?

What are my rights and how is my privacy protected?

Some examples of exceptions to confidentiality include:

Suspected past or present abuse or neglect.

If the therapist has reason to suspect the client is seriously in danger of harming themselves or has threatened to harm another person.

Client Rights

1. Right to Voluntary Treatment

If you are a legal adult (18 or older in NJ), you have the right to request voluntary mental health services.

You have a right to:

Receive a comprehensive, individualized assessment of your needs and problem areas.

A customized treatment plan, to be reviewed at regular intervals, developed with your input, and implemented with your full consent.

Consistent and ethical treatment, terminating our treatment when it is no longer needed or at your request.

Referrals to other competent professionals and resources as adjunctive treatment options, reflective of your treatment plan.

Return to treatment following termination.

Be considered for treatment despite inability to pay the full fee (not unwilling) and be considered for a reduced fee based on specific standardized criteria.

2. Right to Refuse Treatment

You have a right to:

Refuse treatment and receive a referral to another qualified mental health professional.

Be informed about risks associated with refusing treatment.

3. Right to Confidentiality/Privacy

You have a right to:

Confidentiality and to understand how your privacy is protected (Please read Notice of Privacy Policy & Technology & Social Media Policy).

You have the right to be informed if any of your PHI has been breached or compromised.

Determine the amount of information to be released, whether to or from anyone, by signing an Authorization to Release Mental Health Information.

4. Right to Comfortable Mental & Physical Environment

You have a right to:

Be treated with courtesy, respect, and professionally.

Feel comfortable, safe and be afforded a sense of privacy in my office.

5. Right to Information

You have a right to:

Understand what you can expect during treatment with Psychodrama New Jersey including appointments, fees, and all relevant office practices, policies, and procedures.

Know therapist credentials, educational experience, treatment philosophy, professional Code of Ethics, NJ State Social Work Licensure requirements, Federal HIPAA regulations.

6. Right to a Grievance Procedure

You have a right to:

What is PNJ's Technology & Social Media Policy?

What's the best way to communicate with my therapist between sessions?

This office does not accept Medicaid or Medicare.

Self Pay: When you are not seeking reimbursement through your insurance company, the office will supply a Good Faith Estimate at the beginning of treatment which will clarify any and all costs of treatment costs up front.